March will mark the end of a tumultuous decadeslong development project in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, that has sowed local opposition to the U.S. military presence after flip-flopping from an initial plan to create a “dream town” for the city’s residents.
The initiative originally sought to level the city’s Mount Atago with a view toward creating a massive housing complex for Iwakuni residents, only to hit a major snag along the way due to a botched estimate of profitability. In a drastic change of course, officials eventually gave up on the housing scheme altogether, and instead set about transforming the excavated site into facilities catering to the U.S. military personnel stationed nearby.
Today, facilities in the area include a sports gym and a hospital. As much as it thrives on a steady influx of visitors, local residents confess to mixed feelings about how the project turned out.